NOTE: The samle research paper or essay prompt you see on this page is a free essay, available to anyone. You can use any paper as a sample on how to write research paper, essay prompts or as a source of information. We strongly discourage you to directly copy/paste any essay and turn it in for credit. If your school uses any plagiarism detecting software, you might be caught and accused of plagiarism. If you need a custom essay or research paper, written from scratch exclusively for you, please use our paid research paper writing service!

Bipolar Disorder In Kids Determining Bipolar
Disorder in children is harder then adults because
of the mistakes doctor's make in their diagnosis.
All kids have mood swings - is it Bipolar
Disorder? Psychologists of today are having
problems diagnosing children with Bipolar Disorder
because the symptoms are so different from the
adult form of the disorder. In children Bipolar
Disorder is called "Child Onset Bipolar Disorder",
known as COBPD (My Child 1). In children the
cycling from highs to lows are very fast. Children
will cycle between mania and depression many times
a day. The episodes of mania or depression are
short and rarely go on for more then a day at a
time (Childhood 1).

Children have longer periods
of normal behavior between episodes then adults
(Bipolar I Disorder 1). This rapid cycling is
called "ultra-ultra rapid cycling" (My Child 1).
"Ultra-ultra rapid cycling" is mostly associated
with the low states in the morning, and then
followed by the afternoon and evening with a high
increase in energy (Frequently Asked Questions 1).
Children usually have continuous mood changes that
are mixes of mania and depression (Sutphen 1). In
adult Bipolar Disorder, it is called "Bipolar
Affective Disorder", known as manic depressive
illness (My Child 1). For adults the change from
manic to depressed can take months. They often
have periods of normal behavior in between their
episodes of mania and depression (Bipolar 1).
Bipolar Disorder is a biochemical imbalance that
causes major mood changes from the highs of mania,
to the very lows of depression (My Child 1).
Doctors say "What goes up must come down" with the
highs and lows of this disorder, but the cycles
are very unpredictable and vary in Determining
Bipolar Disorder in children is harder then adults
because of the mistakes doctor's make in their
diagnosis.

length. The times of depression and
mania stages are not equal in time (Basic
Terminology 1). In children only about .5% have
bipolar disorder. The disorder is most common in
males in children (Childhood 1). In adults one
percent or about four million people of the
population is affected by the disorder (Who Gets
Bipolar 1).

Bipolar Disorder affects women equally
(Expert 1). The normal range of age that the
disorder appears in is between the ages 15 and 25
(Alternative 1). The cause of Bipolar disorder is
still a mystery. Doctors know that there is a
strong genetic condition that may have something
to do with it (Childhood 1). One of the most
important things to have when diagnosing a child
with bipolar disorder is to have an accurate
family history (Facts 1).

With one parent with the
disorder they say the chances of each child having
it is 15-30%, when both parents have the disorder
the risk incr3eases to 50-75% of each child having
it. In siblings and fraternal twins there is a
15-25% percent, and in identical twins there is
about a 70% chance of having the disorder. (About
Early-Onset 4). In adolescents a loss or some
other traumatic event might trigger an episode of
either depression or mania. Later episodes of
mania or depression may occur independently
because of any other obvious trigger, such as
stress, or the episode may worsen with any
additional added stresses.

Puberty is also a time
of risk for children (About Early-Onset 3). There
are also factors of the person's environment,
stressful life events can trigger an episode from
anything from a death in the family to losing a
job or Determining Bipolar Disorder in children is
harder then adults because of the mistakes
doctor's make in their diagnosis. having a baby,
or moving to a different city (Bailey 1). Nearly
anything can trigger a persons change in mood,
there might not be any obvious triggers at all
(Bipolar 1). On average people with Bipolar
Disorder, especially children, usually go through
three to four doctors, and go through about eight
years trying to find what works before they can
obtain a correct diagnosis (Expert 1).

When
diagnosing a child with bipolar disorder doctors
have to be very careful that they do not make the
wrong diagnosis (Childhood 1). It is very tricky
to make a bipolar diagnosis in children because of
all the other disorders that can go along with it.
It is very rare for bipolar disorder to occur in
children by itself (Facts 1). Diagnosing cancer in
children is better chance of the correct diagnosis
then diagnosing children with a form of bipolar
disorder (What is it? 1). Bipolar in children is
often misdiagnosed as borderline personality
disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, or
schizophrenia (About Early-Onset 5). Children with
bipolar have a 90% chance of also having
Oppositional Defiant Disorder, a 90% chance of
having Attention Deficit Disorder, s 50-60% chance
of having Separation Anxiety Disorder, and a
15-20% chance of having Obsessive- Compulsive
Disorder (Redefining 1).

Other disorders that
children can have with bipolar disorder are
depression, conduct disorder, panic disorder,
generalized anxiety disorder, tourette's syndrome,
intermittent explosive disorder, or reactive
attachment disorder (About Early-Onset 5). A
Bipolar child's symptoms are very different
compared to an adults. Some symptoms they can
categorize into a manic and depressant state, and
others they can not Determining Bipolar Disorder
in children is harder then adults because of the
mistakes doctor's make in their diagnosis. because
of how fast a child goes from high to low. When a
child is manic they have severe mood changes, very
different to other children their age.

They can
get unusually happy or silly, or they can be very
angry, agitated, and or aggressive. They have
unrealistic highs of self-esteem, and they often
think that they have magic powers like they are
super heroes. Bipolar children can go for days
with little or no sleep, and still have energy. A
manic child has an increase in talking, they talk
too fast, and say too much at one time, and other
people have a hard time understanding and
following what they are talking about. Manic
children often take part in high risk taking
behavior, such as drinking alcohol, abusing drugs,
sexual promiscuity, and reckless driving (Bipolar
Disorder In Teens 1).

Bipolar children often have
defiance of authority, strong frequent cravings
for sugary foods such as candy and chocolates and
have inappropriate promiscuous behavior (About
Early-Onset 2). The depressive side of a child
with Bipolar Disorder is similar to an adult's.
Children have irritability, constant sadness, and
frequent crying. They often have thoughts of
suicide, suicide plans, and suicide attempts. They
lose interest quickly in activities they used to
enjoy and they also have a lose of interest in
their friends and families. They have a low energy
level when they are depressed, and they often
sleep a lot during the day, also poor
concentration, and complaints of boredom (Bipolar
Disorder In Teens 1).

Very common symptoms of a
Bipolar child are rages and explosive temper
tantrums that can last for several hours. Major
hyperactivity including silliness, Determining
Bipolar Disorder in children is harder then adults
because of the mistakes doctor's make in their
diagnosis. goofiness, and giddiness. Very
aggressive behavior, including risk taking
behavior. They have low self-esteem and social
anxiety.

Other common behaviors that Bipolar
children have are bed-wetting especially in boys,
night terrors, paranoia, hallucinations and
delusions. Obsessional and compulsive behavior.
Learning disabilities are apart of being bipolar
also, they have poor shirt term memory, and they
lack organizational skills. Children often have
fascinations with horrible morbid thoughts. They
have very manipulative behavior, bossiness and
lying. The least common symptoms are bingeing,
self- mutilating behaviors, and cruelty to animals
(Symptoms of Bipolar 1-2).

When a Bipolar adult is
in a manic stage they can either have all the
symptoms or only a few. It varies form person to
person depending on the age and the severity of
the disorder (Marilyn 2). Over 90% of the bipolar
adults experience two or more manic episodes in a
life time (The Basics 1). Manic episodes can last
two weeks, or even up to four to five months
(Bipolar Affective Disorder 1). Bipolar adults
often spend money beyond their finical capacity,
have grandiose thoughts, seductive sexual
behavior, loss of judgment and the inability to
concentrate.

They may also have extreme hostility
that leads to violent behavior by making abusive
or obscene statements. When Bipolar adults are
manic they are often arrogant, and they have a
demanding attitude, they also shout, and throw
things when things do not go their way. Bipolar
adults move around a lot, they are very talkative
about nothing important, and they are also very
paranoid, and think that everyone is out to get
them (Surveying 4). Adults with Bipolar, during
their manic stage Determining Bipolar Disorder in
children is harder then adults because of the
mistakes doctor's make in their diagnosis. feel a
lot better about themselves.

They have elevated
moods, and an inflated self-esteem. They have an
increase in goal directed social or sexual
activities (Bipolar Affective 2). Adults get
involved in pleasurable activities that have a
high risk of a bad outcome with painful
consequences (Criteria 1). Manic patients often
feel on top of the world, and nothing - such as
bad news, a tragedy, or a horrible event will
change the way they feel. The often deglutinate
that they have special connections with famous
people and even God (Symptoms and Causes 1).
Studies done on Bipolar adults show that creative,
sensitive, perfectionists and high achievers how a
higher incidence of Bipolar Disorder (What is
Bipolar Disorder? 1).

Bipolar adults often have
excessive irresponsible behavior, they are often
very agitated and have poor temper control.
Insomnia plays a big part in a bipolar patient's
life, they have a decreased need for sleep and
extreme restlessness (Marilyn 2). A manic person
has a different personality from their normal.
They act and dress differently to fit their "new"
moods (Children's Mental 1). It ...